Harry Potter and the Millennium Mystic
by Winged Seer Wolf
Summary: At the edge of death, a loyal magician and guardian makes a fateful decision that ripples throughout time. In the present, Harry Potter receives a letter and it sets him on a journey to understand the past.


**Harry Potter and the Millennium Mystic **

A Harry Potter/Yu-Gi-Oh! Crossover

By: Winged Seer Wolf

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**Summary: **At the edge of death, a loyal magician and guardian makes a fateful decision that ripples throughout time. In the present, Harry Potter receives a letter and it sets him on a journey to understand the past.

**Dedicated to my friend, DZ2, who gave me the inspiration to do this fic. This fic is dedicated solely to you my friend. You, who helped me by being my sounding board with this fic and encouraged me to put my thoughts to type. You, who loved the premise of the fic and the surrounding characters as much as I. You, who have been hungering for this fic to grace the 'pages' of fanfiction for a long time. **

**Well, hunger no more and feast to your hearts content. There's plenty!**

**TO DZ2: I expect a mid length review from you on this and all chapters as I worked VERY hard on this idea. As this is "our child" I am wanting you to review on various ideas to help make this 'child' of ours grow. **

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**Chapter I: The Dream, Black Memories, Shadowy Tests and The Letter **

"_You will not lay a hand on that which is not yours!" A tall figure said. This man was wearing a cream colored outfit that was an ankle length robe and wore cream colored sandals upon his feet. Around his waist was a blue and gold trimmed belt from which hung two gold pointed items that looked like diamond pointers upon each side. The belt was secured by a large gold piece that was flat. Upon his shoulders was a heavy gold shoulder pauldrons that were linked to a gold choker. Upon his upper arms was a thick gold band upon each upper arm which strained against his muscles. Around his forearms was a thick arm length bracelet and upon his left arm over the bracelet was a strange device that was gold in color that had a gold eye covering the wrist and from it sprouted three strange 'wings'. To round out the outfit was a headdress that was also cream colored and had a thick gold crown of sorts over the fabric to hold it in place. The final piece was a gold pendant that had a thick gold ring with a pyramid and upon the pyramid was a thick golden eye and surrounding the outside of the ring were the same diamond style gold pointers the man had on his belt. The man had piercing blue eyes and had thick eye liner that curved back on itself giving a sort of spiked look to it. _

_Across from the first man was a white haired man with a long scar under his right eye that had two thick slashes bisecting it. He wore a bright red coat with white lines along the hem and arms of the coat. He had followed the first man into the sanctuary and had been trapped with the first man and they were fighting over the first mans golden ring that was situated around his neck. _

"_You think so, hmm?" The white haired man replied with a sinister laugh. "I WILL take that Item, then I'll take the others, and one by one your fellow Priests and the Pharaoh himself will fall before me, Mahad." The man said. _

"_Not on my watch, Bakura!" Mahad proclaimed as he readied himself for a fight with his Illusion Magician beside him. Across from Mahad was the legendary Thief King Bakura who was surrounded by the coils of his loyal Diabound who was poised to strike at Mahad and his Illusion Magician._

_They battled back and forth, each trying to one up the other when Bakura got the upper hand and Mahad had to do something extremely drastic. He merged his power and soul with that of his Illusion Magician and became the TRUE Magician of Darkness, The Dark Magician. Mahad was dressed in armor that was in various colors of purple and had a long forest green staff. He twirled the staff and pointed it at Bakura. _

_"Now, I have merged with my Illusion Magician and become the Dark Magician!" Mahad cried out as his power flared and he held out his staff and cried out "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" _

_Several bubbles of acidic green light flew from the magicians staff and suddenly the world turned negative and the world burst into white light as a high scream of pain was heard..._

Thirteen year old Harry James Potter awoke in shock a voice whispered out..._"That which I held is now yours." _Harry shook his head to clear it from the intense and weird dream that he had had and turned over to try and fall back asleep when his eye roamed over the bedroom and his eyes rested on the black and silver swirled staff that was propped up in the corner of the room hidden from the rest of the room by virtue of not being able to be seen via the bedroom door. The staff had soon many memories that were attached to it as it had helped him out many a time in his many and varied adventures over the last two years. He clearly remembered how he had gotten it and the painful loss of his former phoenix wand to which the staff now replaced. The staff was powerful in its own right as it was a part of his very being. It was the same type of staff that he had seen in the dream that he had just had. The staff of a Dark Magician.

_'No.'_ Harry thought. _'Not a Dark Magician. Its the staff of a Black Magician. One who accepts the darkness and harnesses the darkness. A Dark Magician, while Dark in nature only goes so far as to steep itself in darkness.'_

Harry shook his head and got up and walked over to the staff and as he touched it, he remembered the first time he wielded it and the test that he had endured as a result of his first Halloween at Hogwarts.

_Memory Begin..._

_It had all started the day of Halloween. Harry, Ron, Seamus and Neville had just finished Charms class when Ron spoke up, "It's Leviosa, not Leviosar. Honestly, she's a nightmare. No wonder she hasn't got any friends!" He said snidely. Suddenly Harry felt Hermione bustling past him, sniffling and trying not to burst into tears from the rude comment._

_"I think she heard you." Harry said to Ron as they go onto dinner not thinking about what had just happened. They enter the Great hall and gasp at the decorations and join their year mates and begin to dig into the lavish holiday feast set out before them unaware that things are about to take a turn for the worse. _

_Harry looks up and down the table looking for a head of bushy, brown hair. But upon not seeing said person who has said hair, Harry looks across from him at Neville and asks,"Where's Hermione?" _

_"Parvati Patil said that she wouldn't come out of the girl's bathroom. She said that she'd been in there all afternoon...crying." Neville replied. Harry looked at Ron and went back to their food when the Hall was interupted by the sight of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor coming barreling into the Hall screaming, _

_"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! T-TROOLLL IN THE DUNGEON!" The man yelled out then suddenly freezes amid the shocked silence of the Great Hall and said, "Thought you ought to know." Before the man fell forward in a dead faint. The Hall is silent for a few seconds to let the occupants process the situation before all hell brakes lose and then the students began to scream and run around. _

_But were stopped by the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore yelling out, "SILLLLLEEENNNNCEEEEE!" The students looked at him with rapt attention. "If everyone will please, not panic. Now, Prefects will lead their houses back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons." Dumbledore ordered. At that the prefects regained control of the situation. _

_A female prefect called out "Hufflepuff, this way!" while another teen said, "Stay together!" Meanwhile, in the Great Hall Severus Snape looked horrified and he soon disappeared through a doorway as Percy Weasley, the fifth year Prefect for Gryffindor House was leading the group down the hall and said, "Gryffindors...keep up please and stay alert!" _

_Towards the back of the group, Harry asked Ron, "How could a troll get in?"_

_"Not by itself. Trolls are really stupid. Probably people playing jokes." Ron replied as Harry suddenly stopped and pulled Ron aside. Harry looked at Ron and said,"Hermione! She doesn't know!"_

_The two run off, down various corridors, trying to find Hermione when they stop, because there is a grunting noise. Harry pulls Ron into a doorway and a large, ugly TROLL thunks by into a room._

_"He's going into the girl's bathroom!" Harry said to Ron. Meanwhile in the bathroom, Hermione emerged from the stall, wiping her eyes. She stops when she sees something. The troll is standing there. Hermione backs up, into the stall just as the troll raises its club and smashes the top part of the stalls. Hermione screams, just as Harry and Ron come bursting in._

_Harry yells at Hermione. "Hermione, move!" At this the troll smashes the remaining stalls barely missing the young girl. Hermione screams out "Help! Help!" as she tries to cower underneath a sink and looks on as the boys start throwing pieces of wood at the troll. Ron picked up a piece of wood at the troll hitting the beast on the head and yells out, "Hey, pea brain!" The troll sees Hermione cowering under the sink and goes to smash her. The force of the blow cracks the sink and barely misses Hermione as Harry cringes in response._

_Hermione yells out, "Ahhh! Help!" as Harry pulls out his wand and runs forward and grabs the troll;s club and is lifted up. The troll sees Harry and waves its club trying to dislodge the boy when a particularly strong yank makes the boy accidentally drop his wand and get flung across the room hitting the tile wall and Harry groans as he tries to get up but can only watch in horror as he see the troll step forward and its foot comes down upon Harry's phoenix feather wand snapping it it half._

_At this, Harry got to his feet and stumbled towards the troll with fury in his eyes. "You dare destroy my wand and hurt my friends?! Well, buddy, you've got another thing coming." Harry yelled at the troll and as the troll bore down on him, Harry held out his hand like did would have done his wand and in a flash of silver light, there appeared in his hand a tall, black staff with silver rings around the top and bottom of the staff. The bottom of the staff came to a sharp point while the head of the staff arc up to two points that created a bowl like depression and in this depression, there rested a smooth silver jewel. _

_harry looked at the staff in shock and then up at the troll when all of a sudden, Harry began to see something else, something beyond or behind the troll that was so terrifying to him that he stepped back a couple of steps but raised the staff in his right hand and pointed it towards the beast that to his eyes showed both the troll in front of him and the other monstrosity behind it. _

_The monstrosity behind the troll, was an extremely tall being that was blue from the waist up and was wreathed in deep shadow from the waist down. The being had immensely thick blue arms and a broad chest. upon its shoulders were thick spikes that curved slightly and came to a point. The head was small and stout and its chin came to a sharp point while its mouth was lipless and showed off thick white teeth. Its cheeks had more spikes that ended in points and its eyes were a deep blood red that bored into Harry's very being. Upon the being's head were four large spikes. The front two were half the size of those that were behind it. Nestled in between the spikes above the beings blazing red eyes was a smooth blue jewel. The jewel was the foundation for a third set of short spikes that looked sort of like a crown. (1) _

_Overall the beast looked like a demon straight fro the fiery pits of hell and just as imposing. But Harry stood his ground against the thing as the beast drew closer. Harry was having trouble as every time he blinked the 'demon' was replaced by the troll but Harry controlled himself and raised his newfound staff and he heard a faint whisper that sounded like rushing wind, 'Use Black Magic Attack. To defeat this being you must show strength in the face of danger.' _

_Harry raised his staff and cried out **"**_**Burakku Majikku Kougeki!"** (2)

_In response the staff lit up and a deep black silver light pulsed outward and flew at the Troll/Demon and flung him backward and slammed the Troll/Demon into the far wall where the thing slumped down and didn't get back up again. Harry then flicked his arm outward and the staff, to Harry's amazement shrunk down and took on the appearance of his old wand, just as the remains of the phoenix wand caught fire and burned to ash and disappeared. _

_Hermione approached Harry and Ron as they stood there shocked at the the Troll. But to Harry's eyes, the thing that was the troll nodded to him and its eyes flashed and it disappeared in a deep blue light and flew towards Harry, who fell to his knees and screamed out as the blue light etched itself into the left side of Harry's back. Harry tore off his robe and shirt see his back and upon seeing his back Harry's eyes widened at seeing the thing that he had just defeated._

_He looked at Ron and Hermione. "Whatever we just went through, stays between us. No one else shall know. Agreed?" Harry asked as he saw Ron nod and Hermione jerked her head in a nod as Harry redressed himself just as the door to the bathroom opened and McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell come rushing in._

_They all gasped at seeing the destruction and turned to the children who looked at each other and then Hermione stepped up and spun a quick but believable lie about how see went looking for the troll and how she would have been dead if not Harry and Ron. They were all three sent away back to Gryffindor Tower. _(3)

_...Memory End_

Harry shuddered at the memory facing that terrible ordeal only to be drawn into another memory dealing with the Chamber of Secrets and another entity. But this entity was far different from the last.

_Memory Begin..._

_He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ginny? He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir. _

_Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, face down, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair. "Ginny!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. _

_"Ginny — don't be dead — please don't be dead —" He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be… _

_"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. _

_Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side. _

_"She won't wake," said a soft voice. Harry jumped and spun around on his knees. A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him. _

_"Tom — Tom Riddle?" Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face. "What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not — she's not —?" _

_"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just." Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen. _

_"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly. _

_"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there — but there were more pressing matters to deal with. "You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. _

_"We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk…I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment…Please, help me." Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again. But his wand had gone. "Did you see —?" He looked up. Riddle was still watching him — twirling Harry's staff turned wand between his long fingers. "Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it. A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the staff turned wand idly. "Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes —" _

_"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly. Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer. _

_"What d'you mean?" he said. _

_"Look, give me my wand, I might need it —" Harry said as Riddle's smile broadened. _

_"You won't be needing it," he said. Harry stared at him. _

_"What d'you mean, I won't be —?" Harry started to say but was cut off by Riddle's comment._

_"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you." _

_"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later —" _

_"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand. Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here… _

_"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly. _

_"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger." _

_"What are you talking about?" said Harry. _

_"The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how —" Riddle's eyes glinted "— how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her…" All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them. "It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. _

_"But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom…I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in…It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…" Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck. "If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted…I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her…" _

_"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry. _

_"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. _

_"Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat." _

_"No," Harry whispered. _

_"Yes," said Riddle, calmly. _

_"Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries…far more interesting, they became…Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, "'I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me…There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad…I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!'" Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms. _

_"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet…" _

_"And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady. _

_"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust —" _

_"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but —" Riddle laughed his high laugh again. _

_"It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student…on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls…but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance…as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power! "Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed…Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did…" _

_"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted. _

_"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."_

_Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again —" _

_"Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — you." Harry stared at him. "Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery — particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue… "So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her…She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last…I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter." _

_"Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched. _

_"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent — managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now. _

_"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time…" _

_"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter…" He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words: TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves: I AM LORD VOLDEMORT._

_"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!" _

_Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others…At last he forced himself to speak. "You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred. _

_"Not what?" snapped Riddle. _

_"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. _

_"Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens y__ou now, wherever you're hiding these days —" __The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look. _

_"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed. _

_"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. _

_He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true. Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar. A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. _

_But to Harry's eyes, the world shifted again and he saw what was behind the bird. A large golden falcon-like creature that was covered in metallic gold feathers. two thin golden arms, that ended in sharp white claws beneath golden pauldrons that had golden points Thick golden legs that were covered in metallic feathery scales. Its head and neck were shaped like a falcon. It had a large golden beak that had a row of sharp teeth on its upper and lower beak segments. Its eyes glowed sky blue and stared at Harry. above which Harry saw a golden tuft of feathers that formed a crest. Behind the being, rose two thick, golden metallic wings that flared wide shielding Harry. The entire being was wreathed in flame making Harry think of the sun just by glancing at it. (4)_

_A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye. The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle. _

_"That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it. _

_"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently. _

_"And that —" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —" So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet. Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once. "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?" _

_Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting. "To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice — in your past, in my future — we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive." Harry was thinking fast, weighing his chances. Riddle had Harry's staff turned wand. _

_He, Harry, had Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, neither of which would be much good in a duel. It looked bad, all right…but the longer Riddle stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Ginny…and in the meantime, Harry noticed suddenly, Riddle's outline was becoming clearer, more solid…If it had to be a fight between him and Riddle, better sooner than later. "No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul –" Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. _

_"So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful counter charm. I can see now…there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike…but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know." Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again. _

_"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him…" He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed — but Harry understood what he was saying… "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." _

_Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder. Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horror struck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths. Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes' wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, _

_"Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents? Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder — he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice: "Kill him." The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way — Voldemort was laughing. Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming. _

_There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars. He couldn't help it — he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on. The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake. _

_Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned — Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony. _

_"NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. _

_"LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!" The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. _

_Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. "Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone — anyone…" The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face. The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance — he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again. 'Help me — help me —' Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. 'Please help me.'_

_There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly. Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. A gleaming thick silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle was black with a gleaming stone set into the guard. _

_As Harry pulled it free from the hat and saw that the blade was extremely thick and curved like a scimitar. But had three spikes that pointed to the left of the blade, which then curved around and the edge of the left side drew back on itself like a large fisherman's hook. The right side of the blade bowed out slightly and Harry saw that both the left side and right side of the blade fused together in a triangular fashion to create the tip. Harry saw a green stone set into the base of the triangle that made the tip and was surrounded by thick black wavy lines. _

_For the second time in his life, Harry heard a voice say, "Call the swords name and it will protect you. Show the being you are a guardian and protector of life and light."_

_Suddenly without thinking Harry cried out _**"****Sakurifaisu Sōdo" (5)**

_"KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF — SMELL HIM." Harry was on his feet, ready. _

_The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous — It lunged blindly — Harry dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands — The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true — Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth — But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow. _

_One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color. A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him. _

_"Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes…" He felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him. He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him. _

_"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying." Harry blinked. Fawkes head slid in and out of focus causing Harry to see both Fawkes and the entity behind the bird. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers. _

_"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry." Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning. "So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. _

_"Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry…She bought you twelve years of borrowed time…but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…" _

_If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad. Even the pain was leaving him… But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound — except that there was no wound. _

_"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, get away —" Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet. "Phoenix tears…" said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course…healing powers…I forgot…" He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter…you and me…" He raised the staff turned wand… _

_Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap — the diary. For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book. There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. _

_Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then — He had gone. Harry's staff turned wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. harry walked up to his staff turned wand and picked it up off the stone floor and placed it into the holster upon his arm. _

_The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it. Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth. (6)_

_Harry turned to see the being behind Fawkes disappear in a gold color and soon Harry was brought to his knees for the second time in two years as he felt the golden light etch itself deep into Harry's back. Harry smiled even as he gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. _

_Harry had then gathered Ginny, Ron and their amnesiac professor and the entity that was behind Fawkes flashed them to Dumbledore's office where the boy's were lightly interrogated by their professors and then as the room cleared out, Harry nodded towards the immortal bird and said, "Thank you. I hope I've lived up to your expectation." _

_As Harry turned to leave Dumbledore's office, Harry heard a light musical note and turned around to see the being behind Fawkes open its mouth and an airy yet deep voice sounded in his head. **"You have done well. Continue on your path and more shall be revealed. But rejoice for you have past mine and my brothers tests. One more remains and an item must be found before your true journey begins." **_

_"Who are you?" Harry asked the entity. _

_**"As for that question you are not yet ready. But you will be soon for far from here in an ancient land guarded by magic and powers lost to this age lies the secret of my brothers and I. Learn our names and during your final test we will grant you our full and unrelenting power." **The entity said before fully disappearing from Harry's view. harry left the office leaving Dumbledore with a confused look upon his face. _

_...End Memory_

Harry was forced out of his memories by a loud and powerful roar from downstairs. Harry grabbed his staff and watched as it shrunk and reformed into his old wand and he replaced it into his holster and making sure that it was hidden, Harry walked downstairs to see his uncle Vernon at the bottom of the stairs. As Harry reached the bottom of the stairs, he was confronted by Vernon who pulled Harry by his shirt front in the living room and shoved him forward and thrust an envelope into Harry's chest.

"What is the meaning of this, Boy?" Vernon asked Harry as he stared down at the bright colorful envelope covered in stamps.

"I don't know Uncle Vernon." Harry replied as he looked down at the envelope before looking up at his slowly purpling uncle.

"Well open it boy!" Vernon commanded.

Harry ripped open the envelope and took out the parchment inside and opened it to read the letter which read,

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy birthday!_

_We on a Daily Prophet Draw of seven hundred galleons and I thought about how you might enjoy time away from the muggles and would like you to come along with us on our trip to Egypt. What do you say? It would be nice to have you around instead of having my brothers around me constantly. I mean even though they are my family, they're all older and the truth is I wanted to help pay you back for what happened in June with my sister. _

_So, think on it. If you want to go, you need to send me an owl with a response by tonight. Oh I forgot to mention but Mom and Dad are going to buy me a new wand for next year. _

_Ron_

Harry gave the letter to Vernon who looked at Harry. "So can I go? I'll be on my best behavior and the best part is you'll be free of me till next summer." Harry said as Vernon snarled out, "Fine, you can go."

Harry then raced up the stairs back to his room to gather his things and write Ron the confirmation response that he wanted. Minutes later Harry was off to the Burrow via the Knight Bus and finally away from the Dursley's for the summer, unaware that this choice had set him on his path to uncovering his true destiny.

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**Wow! What a ride. I hope you liked what I cooked up for you, C! If you want more just let me know and I'll find more for you. **

**NEXT TIME: **

**Chapter II: The Ring, The Truth and the Hidden names **

**Harry lands in Egypt with the Weasleys and is meets a woman who is for some reason strangely familiar to him. Who is she and what does she want with him? **

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**(1) If you can guess the name of the entity just from the description WITHOUT looking it up then the next chapter will be dedicated to the first 10 reviewers to get this. **

**(2) Means 'Black Magic Attack in Japanese Romaji. Is known as 'Dark Magic Attack' in English**

**Note: All attacks/spells/traps used will be in this format. **

**(3) The base format is from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**(4) ****If you can guess the name of the entity just from the description WITHOUT looking it up then the next chapter will be dedicated to the first 10 reviewers to get this.**

**(5) Means 'Sacrifice Sword' in Japanese Romaji. Is known as 'Sword of Dark Rites' in English**

**(6) The base format is from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets**

**NOTE: Harry's 'Black Magician' is the Anniversary Artwork. See Story Photo.**

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